Good science fiction-horror picture; gritty, terrifying

Rating: Null/10 (1 November 2003)

28 Days Later . . . (2003) Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Huntley, D: Danny Boyle. Apocalyptic horror tale of deadly virus escaping from an animal testing facility, where anyone in turn coming in contact with the blood is infected in a matter of seconds. Wiping out most of Great Britain, rage breaks out and the few survivors need each other to stay alive and save the human race. Good science fiction-horror picture and grainy filmmaking, with real characters and human dialogue. The story is narrow, but effectively forceful and quite terrifying, keeping you involved even during the talky let-ups. Running Time: 117 minutes and rated R for strong violence and gore, language and nudity. ***